Employment
Contract Drafters
The following Consultant Legislative Counsel are available to perform contract drafting. If you are interested in obtaining their services, you should contact them directly.
CALC offers no warranty as to the skills or experience of any of the Consultant Legislative Counsel listed here.
Jonothan Abbott
Jonothan Abbott has more than 20 years of legislative drafting experience, mostly as drafting counsel with the Department of Justice, Hong Kong. Since leaving that office in 2005 he has undertaken project and contract drafting work, both in Hong Kong and elsewhere. His drafting experience covers a wide range of subjects, including intellectual property, banking, shipping, implementation of international treaties, privatisation of state-owned entities and anti-corruption legislation. Jonothan can be contacted at: jonabbott@netvigtor.com or by phone on (852) 9272-5492
Chinua Asuzu
Chinua Asuzu has been involved in law review and legislative drafting since 1999, when Nigeria returned to democratic government. Chinua has drafted or reviewed hundreds of bills at national and state levels. Since 2012, Chinua has researched, taught, and written on legal writing and communication. Some of Chinua's works are available on amazon.com/author/chinuaasuzu. Chinua's résumé (46KB). Chinua Asuzu / assizeslawfirm.com / briefwriting.net / learnedwriting.com / writehouse.org / +234 (0)803 341 2508
Yvonne Kose Chilume
Yvonne Kose Chilume is currently, a Legislative Drafting Consultant in private practice with 10 years’ experience of having worked in the professional public service of Government of Botswana through employment with the Attorney General of Botswana. She holds Bachelor of Laws (LLB) in 1992 with University of Botswana and Master of Laws (LLM) with University of West Indies in 1996. She worked for a non-partisan civil service and the mandate of the Legislative Drafting Unit of Attorney General of Botswana was wide which included Government institutions, agencies, Local Government (inclusive of Councils) and Parliament of Botswana. Further, she developed knowledge of functioning of legal systems and advisory services to clients, such relationship akin to attorney client relation. The legislative drafting work covered primary and secondary legislation of the Botswana Statute Book, including domestication of multilateral legal agreements, for subject areas, such as, tourism, environmental law, intellectual property, anti-money laundering. In private practice, she consulted and drafted legislative instruments for non-profit organizations and United Nations Development Program, among others. The essential expertise developed by Yvonne, involved policy analysis and research on functioning of legal systems of other countries within the Commonwealth and beyond. On the whole, she has over 25 years’ experience. yvonne@chilumeco.com / +267 72303035
- Yvonne Chilume CV (88 KB)
Brian Crozier
Brian Crozier was the Director of Legal Drafting (the chief legislative drafter) in Zimbabwe from 1989 until he resigned in 2000. Before taking up that position, he worked as a public prosecutor and legal adviser in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe. Brian is available for individual drafting assignments, preferably ones that could be carried out in Zimbabwe. However, he would consider assignments requiring work outside Zimbabwe for up to 2 months at a time. Contact Brian at crozier@africaonline.co.zw.
More details are available in the following document:
Michele Forzley
Michele Forzley is a global public health lawyer. Her work is focused in the public health sector on issues of emergency preparedness, International Health Regulations, public health and infectious disease control, access to medicines, TRIPS and health, universal health coverage, health system strengthening and all other aspects of health system functioning. Since 1999 she has assisted numerous low-and middle-income countries and regional health committees with legislative drafting services, the preparation of other legal instruments, treaty and model law domestication and institutional reform. Michele has provided consulting services to health authorities in Africa, Asia, Pacific region, middle and near east, and to international public organizations such as the World Bank and World Health Organization. She is a member of the WHO IHR Roster of Experts on Health Law, Ethics and Human Rights and is dually trained in public health. She is available on a short or long term contract basis. Located in the DC metro area she can be contacted at michele@micheleforzley.com, by phone +1-301-565-0680 and by Skype michele.forzley.
Nicholas Horn
Nicholas Horn – legislative drafting and training services
Drafter
Legislative drafting is my life’s calling. I have 34 years of professional experience as a legislative drafter for the Australian and ACT Governments. I recently retired from a senior drafting position with the Australian Office of Parliamentary Counsel, where I worked for over 15 years. I have extensive experience drafting primary and subordinate legislation covering a broad range, particularly:
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regulatory and licensing schemes
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personal property securities law
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criminal law
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migration law
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legislative instruments reform
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territories legislation
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statutory interpretation.
Educator
I have considerable experience teaching legislative drafting at tertiary level (at the the University of Athabaska, Alberta, the ANU and the University of Sydney), as well as in delivering intensive short courses for legislative drafters, in the Pacific region and for the Queensland Office of Parliamentary Counsel. Throughout my time with OPC I was also active in offering internal training courses and (like all other OPC drafters) in delivering courses in the legislative process for instructors and others working with legislation.
Researcher
I have a strong academic and practical interest in plain language drafting, and have published research in legislative drafting, statutory interpretation and law and literature.
Contact me!
I can work on site or remotely from Canberra, Australia. You can contact me on robynick@homemail.com.au or +61 406 375 114.
For more details, see link to attached CV.
Carol Bernard Madden
Carol Bernard Madden has more than 18 years of legislative drafting experience, mostly as Parliamentary Counsel (at various levels) within the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, Jamaica. Since leaving that office in 2007 she has undertaken Consultancies, in Jamaica and in the Caribbean, both as an individual and jointly with a Consulting firm. Her drafting experience covers a wide range of subjects, including Public Sector Modernisation, Civil Aviation, Municipalities, Electoral Matters, Consumer Protection, Food Safety, Financial Services, Constitutional Amendments, Alternative Dispute Resolution and the Caribbean Single Market Economy. She is also engaged in projects requiring legal research, prime of which has culminated in the book “Strengthening Jamaica’s Conflict of Interest Rules”. Carol may be contacted at: cbernardmadden@yahoo.co.uk or by phone on (876) 908-1035.
David Metcalf
David Metcalf, former Deputy Parliamentary Counsel, Australian Capital Territory (Canberra, Australia-based).
Following a 19-year private sector career in personal injury litigation, I had a mid-career epiphany and transitioned into legislative drafting. I retired from full time work in November 2020 after 16 years with the Parliamentary Counsel’s Office (PCO) at the ACT Department of Justice and Community Safety (11 years as Deputy Parliamentary Counsel).
Over the last few years, I have undertaken drafting projects for Western Australia, Northern Territory, the ACT Courts and Tribunal and was a member of the global expert drafting panel for NEOM. I am currently drafting practice guidelines for the ACT Government Solicitor.
I am a generalist drafter and settler - able to swiftly understand the needs of instructors and efficiently provide (or settle) plain English legislative drafting to the highest standard. I have experience drafting principal and subordinate laws dealing with municipal and State government issues, and court rules, having represented the Parliamentary Counsel on the ACT’s Court Rules Advisory Committee for over 10 years. I have also provided development services in the areas of drafting and initiating legislation for private members of the pacific Island of Kiribati and for drafters in PNG.
Availability (Australia and internationally):
Available to draft or settle (and build capacity on-the-job for junior drafters).
Available for temporary assignments or longer contracts, working remotely in Canberra, Australia but open to attending the workplace where required.
Contact details:
David Metcalf CV (Curriculum Vitae (279 KB))
Email: dcmetcalf99@gmail.com Mobile: +61 408491192
Robert Olding
Robert Olding offers contract legislative drafting services, specialising in taxation/revenue laws. Formerly the Chief Tax Counsel for the Australian Taxation Office, Robert now consults to revenue authorities in Australia and internationally, including as a Member of the International Monetary Fund Panel of Experts. In the latter capacity, he has provided advice on legislative development and legislative drafting services to the taxation authorities of developing countries and is a recognised expert in value added taxes (VAT/GST/Consumption Tax). Apart from being a former very senior taxation official, and before that a tax partner in an international firm, Robert is also a sessional member of the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal. Drawing on this varied, high-level experience, he brings a unique focus to taxation/revenue law matters. He can be contacted at robert@robertoldingservices.com.au; and by phone: 61+0421 612 756.
Samantha C. Jn. Paul Samuel
Mrs. Samantha C. Jn. Paul Samuel has practised as a legislative drafter for over 11 years. She is also a British trained barrister and has practiced in chambers. For part of her career, she was the Director of the Legislative Drafting Unit in Saint Lucia, West Indies, working directly with instructing ministries, Cabinet, Parliament and the Prime Minister’s office. She currently practices as a Legislative Drafting Consultant primarily for the OECS and the Commonwealth regions. Mrs. Samuel’s drafting experience covers a variety of areas. These include securities, investment funds, health, education, civil status, broadcasting, electronic transactions, ICT legislation, tourism incentives, income tax, immigration, agriculture, sustainable development, environment, value added tax, banking, companies, consumer protection, constitution and criminal code.
Mrs Samuel is available for long and short term assignments and for both onsite consultations and home based projects. She can be contacted by email: samantha@lawsaintlucia.com, phone: 863.258.5819, Skype: samsam19407, post: 2734 Calabria Avenue, Davenport, Florida, USA 33897 or through the LCM website: www.lawsaintlucia.com
Barbara Vargas
Ms. Barbara Vargas is a Caribbean legal expert practising law for over 20 years, including 15 years as a legislative drafting consultant primarily in the OECS Member States. She specialises in drafting legislation and other legal instruments, including treaties and treaty implementation legislation, model legislation and national legislation through her company Legal and Drafting Services Ltd. (LDS). LDS was established in 2005 to support the work of national drafting offices and assist with public sector strategic initiatives requiring legal and regulatory advice and legislative drafting services. Our distinctive characteristic lies in combining our intimate understanding of the laws, legal systems, legislative drafting norms, cultural context and challenges of the small island States of the Caribbean, with our knowledge of international trends—both in legislative drafting and in legal and regulatory reform. We therefore provide solutions that are inspired by international experience, but adapted to fit the national legal, institutional and socio-economic context of small island states. She can be contacted at barbara.vargas@ldsdrafters.com, by phone on 758.285.3000, on Skype ID: bkvargas, postal address: 7 Mongiraud St, P.O Box 468, Castries, St. Lucia or on the LDS website - www.ldsdrafters.com.